1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to systems for quantifying microbiological content in aqueous media and more particularly, to fluorescence-based assays for measuring total microbiological content.
2. Description of Related Art
The presence of microbial activity in public and industrial water systems can cause health risks. Furthermore, detection and control of microorganisms in industrial systems is critical to various businesses, because the presence of such organisms contributes significantly to system corrosion, deposition and fouling and directly impacts the operation costs of the systems. Monitoring microbial concentrations in industrial systems and public water systems, and treatment of these systems, such as by the application of biocides, is an important part of maintaining these systems.
Conventional monitoring systems for microbial detection use culture-based methods or biochemluminescence-based methods. Both of these methods quantify microbial population; however, there are intrinsic shortcomings and defects affiliated with both of these methods. The culture-based method requires lengthy incubation time and often underestimates the microbial numbers due to the composition of the incubation medium. The biochemluminescence method is fast, but has poor accuracy and false positive and false negative results are frequently obtained.
Biofilms present additional concerns for monitoring microbial concentrations. Biofilms are groups of microbes that grow in complex aggregations and adhere to inert or living surfaces. Cells in a biofilm are held tightly to each other by a matrix of polymeric compounds, such as exopolysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides or glycoproteins. In addition to the fouling, corrosion problems, and health concerns noted above, biofilms can reduce heat transfer and hydraulic pressure in industrial cooling water systems, plug water injection jets and clog water filters, and result in microbial influenced corrosion. Biofilms are protected by layers of expolymers and are extremely resistant to disinfectants and other biocides.
What is needed is an accurate and rapid system and method having a high degree of sensitivity for quantifying microbiological content, including quantifying biofilm content, in aqueous media.